Railway bond-wires.



- J. B. RICHARDSON & T. W. MEIGH.

RAILWAY BOND WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1910.

981,309. Patented Jan.10,1911.

iiiih W M Anya senses.

4 ran stains PATENT orricn.

, JOHN B. RICHARDSON Ann 'rnoMAs w. MEICH, or SOMEBVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

narLw Y onn-WIRES,

Tlo'iz ll whom'itm y concern:

1 ,"Be it'known that we, Jomv B. RICHARD- Jersey, have invented certain :new and use-' ful Improvements in Railway Bond-Wires, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

In rallwaysignaling systems in which the electrlcal continuity of one of the rails is an essential feature, it is usual 'to insure such electrical continuity from rail to rail by a bond wire which is secured at its ends to adjacent rails, with good electrical contact, so as to bridge the jointbetween the rails.- Usually the bond wire is secured-to each rail beyond the adjacent end of the 'fish late by which theLrails are connected meclianically'. One evil result'of this arrangement is that it becomes possible thereby to remove the fish platewithout breakingtthe electrical continuity. of the rail, so that the signal system might show safety. when the railsare separated. Another evil result is thatthe ortion of each of the rails which is covered y the fish plate, which is the weakest por tion of the rail, might be broken without breakin the electrical continuity of the rail, and in this way also the signal system might show safety when one of the rails is broken at its end. Attempts have been-made to meet the former difiiculty by threading the bond wire back and forth throughthe holes drilled in the fish plate and in the web of the rail but this not only adds undesirable expense but further weakens the rail.

It is the object of this invention to provide for such bonding of the rails as shall prevent entirely the possibility either of the removal or breakage of the'fish plate or of the breakage of either rail end within the ends of the fish plate witlfout breaking the electrical continuity of, the rails and so .settin the signals at dan er. Inaccordance with this invention two s ort bond wires are used, one at each end of the fish plate, each bond wire being secured with good electrical contact to the corresponding rail and the adjacent end of. the fish plate. -=It is therefore impossible 'for the fish plate to be removed or for either rail end within the 'fish plate to be broken without breaking the Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 17, 1910. Serial no. 'svzcsa' electrical continuity of the rail, it being inevitable that the fish plate itself would be broken if the rail end covered 'byit is broken. The invention will be more fully ,explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated and in which Figure 1 is a view-in side elevation show-, ing two rail ends with the fish plate by which'they are connected and the bond wires applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail view in horizontal section through a portion of the webof one of the rails and of the fish plates.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in, perspective of one of the improved bond wires.

'The rails a, a:- and the fish. plates 6 may be of any usual or suitable form and may be secured together by bolts 0, c in the usual or in any convenient manner. The fish plate Z) on one side is made a part of the electrical circuit of rails and to this end an electrical connection from each rail to the fish plate is established from a point in the rail beyond the end {of the fish plate to the adjacent end of the fish plate by a bond'wire d. This bond wire may secured to the rail in any convenient manner, as'by means of a tapered pin e driven-into a corresponding hole in the web of the rail, from theopposite side of the web. This is impracticable as a means for securing ,the otherend of the bond wire to the adjacent end of the fish plate, since the pin cannot be driven into the hole in tlie fish plate from the side opposite the bond wire. Therefore, it is desirable to provide each bond wire with a tapered pinj brazed-or otherwise secured thereto in per manent electrical connection'so that such pin may f formed therefor in the fish plate.

It will be seen at once that by providing I two bond wires for each fishplate on one .side, one at eachen'd thereof, it" is impossible to remove the fish plate without breaking the electrical continuity of the rails and that as it is practically impossible thateither rail within the s ace covered by the fish plate, should {break plate, it is impossible for any breakage of Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

be driven into the corresponding hole 1 without breaking the fish either rail within the space coveredby the fish plate to take place Without breaking the electrical continuityof the railsand so setting the signals .at dangerfl We claim as our invention:

The combmatlon with adjacent rails and I a fish Flat-e connecting the same mechani-.

cally 0 two bond Wires, one applied at each 1 5 end of the fish plate and connected elec- This specification signed and witnessed this fifteenth day of August A. D. 1910.

J OHN B. RICHARDSON. THOMAS W. MEICH. Signed in the presence of- JOSHUA DOUGH Y, J r., ARTHUR P. SUTPHEN. 

